AuthorTopic: fish preparation tips (Read 3367 times)

I am a novice angler, really just beginning my foray into the world of angling full time.

I obviously know how to fillet a fish, but i cave heard talk of "bleeding a fish out". my best guess is making two cuts behind the gills of a fish and hanging it upside down as soon after you catch & keep it as possible.

I have also heard about ripping the gills out, and have no clue as to how ot properly do that.

MY final question is on how to de-bone a fish properly, or at least the most effective way.

Filleting Is: deboning (generally) Perhaps you meant: you know how to DRESS (remove the guts and stuff) a fish.I'd reccomend Just doing a google search or going to youtube and typing in:How to de-bone a salmon or trout or......I used to dress and debone fish for a living and it's not something that can easily be explained.It's a visual/tactile thing.One thing I will tell you though is that a pair of tweezers (or a small pair of nedle-nose pliers) comes in handy for removing the pin-bones (the tiny bones)A very arduous task on a small trout.

As far as bleeding goes.Bonk the fish, rip or slit the gills right away. No need to hang it, (it's not quite like deer,elk, etc:)Personally I don't like to hoist fish up by the tail it can seperate at the vertebrae and tear the meat and if you're filleting/deboning; the fillet may not look as nice.It'll taste the same, cook the same and some who are'nt yet good at filleting won't even notice). the heart will pump out most of the blood as it'll go for a short period after the bonk.(some don't bonk, they just rip out a gill and the fish bounces around bruising itself till it expires)